Morgana King
Encyclopedia
Morgana King is an American singer and actress. She is a noted jazz
singer, who is regarded as a "musician's singer." The musical œuvre of her stylized vocal artistry spans a period of more than four decades and has an "appeal that bridges generations, tastes and life styles".
A sometime actress, she is well known for her appearance in the role of Carmela Corleone in The Godfather
(1972) and The Godfather Part II
(1974).
, New York. Her parents were of Sicilian descent "from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia
, Province de Catania
, Sicily." Her mother and father were the only members of their respective families to immigrate to the United States. The name DeBerardini(s) has been misidentified with her birth name. The name, DeBerardini(s), is actually from her second marriage to jazz trombonist Willie Dennis
(William DeBerardinis (1926–1965)).
She grew up in New York City, at 145th and Amsterdam, along with five siblings in an artistically talented family. Her father, who owned a coal and ice business, played the piano and guitar by ear and a sister performed in the Italian Theater. The family experienced a difficult financial period when her "mother was widowed" early. The experience left a lasting impression with Morgana King that carried into adulthood.
Around the age of thirteen, she studied acting from a member of the Shubert theatre
family. It was during this period that her vocal gift was recognized when she was overheard singing the aria "I'll See You Again
" from Noël Coward
's operetta Bitter Sweet
. This began her strong determination to become a singer and a scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music soon followed.
While still in her teens, there was a career choice change, but only in respect to the music genre on her first hearing jazz at age sixteen. She developed a love for big bands (Benny Goodman
, Harry James
, and Duke Ellington
). Her love for Erskine Hawkins, Benny Carter
and Duke Ellington eventually rivaled that earlier love.
nightclub in 1953, a record label executive took interest after being impressed with the unique phrasing and multi-octave range.
Three years later in 1956, her first album, and the only album with record label EmArcy Records
, For You, For Me, For Evermore was released. That same year, the song "Frankie and Johnny" appeared on The Young Ones of Jazz (Mercury Records
).
In the first appearance of Leonard G. Feather
's Encyclopedia of Jazz (1960), Morgana King stated that her ambition was "… to become a dramatic actress." Nine years later in 1969, she began her acting career in the film production of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather
, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
, in the role of Carmela Corleone, wife of Don Vito Corleone. She also appeared as herself in the television documentary The Godfather: Behind the Scenes (1971).
In The Godfather she sang the song "Eh, Cumpari!
". She reprised that role in The Godfather: Part II (1974), also directed by Coppola, in which she originally refused to be in the coffin for the wake scene, but later relented, allowing an establishing shot of her face.
Morgana King’s acclaimed vocal talent established her as one of the premier performers. She headlined clubs, concert halls and hotels, and toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and South America; e.g.: Basin Street; bla-bla café; Blue Note; Blue Room at the Supper Club; Café Leon; Club Bali; Cotton Club; Fat Tuesday’s; Jilly's; Joe Howard's Place; Kenny's Castaways; Lainie's Room; Les Mouches; Lush Life; Mr. Sam's; Rainbow Grill; Reno Sweeney; Scullers; Sniffen Court; Sweet Basil; The Metropole; Town Hall
; the Waterbury Hotels; and Trude Heller’s.
A few of the venue performances during her active career: the March 1956 Easter Jazz Festival at Town Hall in New York City; she opened Trude Heller’s in July 1957 and returned throughout her career for anniversary performances; also in 1957, along with seven female jazz instrumentalists, she performed at the Jazz Female concert held at Carnegie Recital Hall in November; the Schaefer Music Festival
in June 1976; A Tribute to Billie Holiday at the Hollywood Bowl in July 1979; the AIDS Research – Benefit Bash in 1983, the Benefit for the Theater Off Park in May 1988; the 2nd annual WPBX Jazz Festival at the Fine Arts Theater in August 1989.
While performing in Lisbon
, Portugal, she was interviewed by the television show host Henrique Mendes at the television station RTP (the sole television station at that time)." By the 1970s, Morgana King (a non-smoker and non-drinker) became selective with the performing environment over concern for her voice and sang only one show a night.
, Ed Caccavale (drums), Clifford Carter
, Don Costa
, Eddie Daniels
, Sue Evans
, Larry Fallon
, Sammy Figueroa
, John Kaye (percussion), Helen Keane, Art Koenig, Steve LaSpina
, Scott Lee, Jay Leonhart
, Ray Mantilla
, Bill Mays
, Charles McCracken, Ted Nash, Adam Nussbaum
, Warren Odze, Joe Puma
, Don Rebic, Jack Wilkins
, Joe Williams (bass), and Torrie Zito
.
In 1964, King received a Grammy Award
nomination in 1964 for Best New Artist.
The UCLA Music Library's Jimmy Van Heusen papers include a letter dated September 5, 1965 that pertains to "songs… to be given to Morgana King." She recorded three songs by Van Heusen: "Here's That Rainy Day
" (on It's a Quiet Thing, 1965), "Like Someone in Love
" (on Stardust, 1986; and Another Time, Another Space, 1992) and "Imagination
" (on Looking Through The Eyes Of Love, 1998).
Wing Records
released the album considered a masterpiece: Winter Of My Discontent (1965).
An extended recording relationship with Muse Records
began in 1977, resulting in nine albums over twenty-three years.
and The Hollywood Palace
in 1964, and continuing for a decade, she performed on television talk and variety shows including The Mike Douglas Show
, The Dean Martin Show
and The David Frost Show.
Her acting credits include one television movie, two series and a soap opera.
Her lack of a continued interest in acting was a twofold response to the issue surrounding offers of typecast roles and the difficulty in getting "out of character". Her last film appearance was in A Brooklyn State of Mind (1987).
(1927–1969), which ended in divorce after nine years (due to his substance abuse). They had a daughter Graysan (1950–2008) and they have a grandson, Morgan. Tony Fruscella was instrumental in her introduction to bebop and the works of Charlie Parker
, Thelonious Monk
and Billie Holiday
. During their marriage, the couple frequently had "Sunday dinner with Charlie Parker and his family." His self-titled album, Tony Fruscella displays his early works.
Her second marriage, in 1961, was to jazz trombonist Willie Dennis
(William DeBerardinis (1926–1965)). She met him during an off-night visit to the Birdland
Jazz Club where she went to hear Sam Donahue
’s group. He had performed with Gerry Mulligan
and Charles Mingus
and recorded the 1953 album release ‘Four Trombones’ on Mingus’ record label Debut Records
. He had toured extensively with Benny Goodman
, Woody Herman
and Buddy Rich
. His skills and prior experience created a close career collaboration within their relationship, resulting in her album With a Taste of Honey, conceived and developed by him, which garnered critical acclaim for her. The album is the initial source of aligning her style with the bossa nova
. She travelled to Brazil
with him to experience this new music style when he toured with Buddy Rich in 1960. She said the experience was "an introduction to myself." Their close collaboration was suddenly shattered in 1965 with his death from an automobile accident in Central Park
, New York City. Her album It's a Quiet Thing (Reprise, 1965) is a memorial to him. A solo legacy of Willie Dennis can be heard in "Blueport" on Gerry Mulligan's album Live at the Village Vanguard (Verve Records).
After the death of Willie Dennis, she relocated to Southern California and lived for twenty-one years in Malibu. She accepted Frank Sinatra
's offer to record three albums on his record label Reprise Records
(It's A Quiet Thing (1965), Wild Is Love (1966) and Gemini Changes (1967)). She also sold real estate and focused on establishing an acting career.
drawn across her instrument at will, is a unique vocal technique that has the ability to convey the exquisite melancholy of a violin as it delivers evocative prose with refined ease. Being an interpretive artist and stylist, her vocal treatment creates a masterpiece of stunning beauty textured by her "pristine phrasing and crystalline vocal delivery." Having an excellent faculty for melodic improvisation
, she recomposes lyrics making the composition her own, which can also be heard in her scat singing
. In later years, her lyric voice remained lovely from the lightest to the heaviest end of its range. There was an added deep tone to the vibrant mezzo and a life-enhancing lower register that projected great warmth.
Though classified a jazz singer, the body of her work expanded musically over the years. She continued to pursue new forms of expression and presentation by exploring current music trends, which can be heard and read from the list of songs and composers on more than thirty albums. She ventured into new creative areas throughout her career all the while keeping contact with her musical point of origin in jazz. Her distinctive sound has its criticism and detractors. However, the reception for Morgana King has been predominantly positive with her being well received by critics and listeners. There is an opinion on "why Morgana King wasn't more commercially successful."
In literature, the Library of Jazz Standards by Ronny Schiff (2002) recognizes Morgana King as one of the performers who made famous the songs "Imagination" (Van Heusen, Burke), "Like Someone in Love" (Van Heusen, Burke) and "Will You Be Mine" (Adair, Dennis). Also, there is the occasional mention of her in fiction.
She is credited with composition of the songs "Moe's Blues", which was recorded by Beverly Kenny on Beverly Kenny Sings for Johnny Smith (1955), and "Simply Eloquent" with Monte Oliver, which appears on an album of the same title, initially released in 1986 by Muse Records.
In 1991, she produced a set of seminars called Morgana King Fine Arts Series. The seminars brought together small groups for recurring meetings every few months. They were held at select venues that included the Lincoln Center. One of the functions of the series was to familiarize participants more extensively with performance methodologies. There was also a panel available to critique the performances.
Her signature song is "A Taste Of Honey", which was originally released on the album With A Taste of Honey (Mainstream Records, 1964). Her most re-issued songs are "My Funny Valentine
", from Everything Must Change (Muse, 1978), and the title track of For You, For Me, For Evermore
(EmArcy Records, 1956).
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer, who is regarded as a "musician's singer." The musical œuvre of her stylized vocal artistry spans a period of more than four decades and has an "appeal that bridges generations, tastes and life styles".
"She is, like all great singers, first and foremost an interpreter, a sensitive actress… a classic vocal instrument." – Charles A. Pomerantz
A sometime actress, she is well known for her appearance in the role of Carmela Corleone in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
(1972) and The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
(1974).
Early life
Morgana King (née Maria Grazia Morgana Messina on June 4, 1930) was born in PleasantvillePleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...
, New York. Her parents were of Sicilian descent "from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia
Fiumefreddo di Sicilia
Fiumefreddo di Sicilia is a comune on the coast of the Ionian Sea on the island of Sicily. It shares its borders with the municipalities of Calatabiano to the north, Mascali to the south and Piedimonte Etneo to the west....
, Province de Catania
Province of Catania
Catania is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Catania.It has an area of 3,552 km², and a total population of 1,073,881 . There are 58 comunes in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Catania...
, Sicily." Her mother and father were the only members of their respective families to immigrate to the United States. The name DeBerardini(s) has been misidentified with her birth name. The name, DeBerardini(s), is actually from her second marriage to jazz trombonist Willie Dennis
Willie Dennis
Willie Dennis was an American jazz trombonist known as a big band musician but was also an influential bebop soloist...
(William DeBerardinis (1926–1965)).
She grew up in New York City, at 145th and Amsterdam, along with five siblings in an artistically talented family. Her father, who owned a coal and ice business, played the piano and guitar by ear and a sister performed in the Italian Theater. The family experienced a difficult financial period when her "mother was widowed" early. The experience left a lasting impression with Morgana King that carried into adulthood.
Around the age of thirteen, she studied acting from a member of the Shubert theatre
Shubert Theatre (Broadway)
The Shubert Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 225 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States.Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts, it was named after Sam S. Shubert, the second oldest of the three brothers of the theatrical producing family...
family. It was during this period that her vocal gift was recognized when she was overheard singing the aria "I'll See You Again
I'll See You Again
"I'll See You Again" is a song by the English songwriter Sir Noel Coward.It originated in Coward's 1929 operetta Bitter Sweet, however soon emerged as a standard in its own right and became one of Coward's best known compositions...
" from Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's operetta Bitter Sweet
Bitter Sweet
Bitter Sweet is an operetta in three acts written by Noël Coward and first produced in 1929 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. It ran for a very successful 967 performances....
. This began her strong determination to become a singer and a scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music soon followed.
While still in her teens, there was a career choice change, but only in respect to the music genre on her first hearing jazz at age sixteen. She developed a love for big bands (Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
, and Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
). Her love for Erskine Hawkins, Benny Carter
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
and Duke Ellington eventually rivaled that earlier love.
Singing debut
Her professional singing career began at age sixteen under the stage name Morgana King. When she sang in a Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
nightclub in 1953, a record label executive took interest after being impressed with the unique phrasing and multi-octave range.
Three years later in 1956, her first album, and the only album with record label EmArcy Records
EmArcy Records
EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by Mercury Records, and today a European jazz label owned by Universal Music Group. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company....
, For You, For Me, For Evermore was released. That same year, the song "Frankie and Johnny" appeared on The Young Ones of Jazz (Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
).
Film debut
"I studied acting before I ever sang." —Morgana King
In the first appearance of Leonard G. Feather
Leonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.-Biography:...
's Encyclopedia of Jazz (1960), Morgana King stated that her ambition was "… to become a dramatic actress." Nine years later in 1969, she began her acting career in the film production of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, in the role of Carmela Corleone, wife of Don Vito Corleone. She also appeared as herself in the television documentary The Godfather: Behind the Scenes (1971).
In The Godfather she sang the song "Eh, Cumpari!
Eh, Cumpari!
"Eh, Cumpari!" is a novelty song. It was adapted from a traditional Italian song by Julius La Rosa and Archie Bleyer in 1953, and sung by La Rosa with Bleyer's orchestra as backing on a recording that year....
". She reprised that role in The Godfather: Part II (1974), also directed by Coppola, in which she originally refused to be in the coffin for the wake scene, but later relented, allowing an establishing shot of her face.
Singing
"… as an artist… you can take any of this material and make it your own." —Morgana King
Morgana King’s acclaimed vocal talent established her as one of the premier performers. She headlined clubs, concert halls and hotels, and toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and South America; e.g.: Basin Street; bla-bla café; Blue Note; Blue Room at the Supper Club; Café Leon; Club Bali; Cotton Club; Fat Tuesday’s; Jilly's; Joe Howard's Place; Kenny's Castaways; Lainie's Room; Les Mouches; Lush Life; Mr. Sam's; Rainbow Grill; Reno Sweeney; Scullers; Sniffen Court; Sweet Basil; The Metropole; Town Hall
The Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
; the Waterbury Hotels; and Trude Heller’s.
A few of the venue performances during her active career: the March 1956 Easter Jazz Festival at Town Hall in New York City; she opened Trude Heller’s in July 1957 and returned throughout her career for anniversary performances; also in 1957, along with seven female jazz instrumentalists, she performed at the Jazz Female concert held at Carnegie Recital Hall in November; the Schaefer Music Festival
Schaefer Music Festival
The Schaefer Music Festival was a music festival which had been held in the summers between 1968 and 1976 at the Wollman Skating Rink in New York City's Central Park. The series had been sponsored by F. & M...
in June 1976; A Tribute to Billie Holiday at the Hollywood Bowl in July 1979; the AIDS Research – Benefit Bash in 1983, the Benefit for the Theater Off Park in May 1988; the 2nd annual WPBX Jazz Festival at the Fine Arts Theater in August 1989.
While performing in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal, she was interviewed by the television show host Henrique Mendes at the television station RTP (the sole television station at that time)." By the 1970s, Morgana King (a non-smoker and non-drinker) became selective with the performing environment over concern for her voice and sang only one show a night.
Musicians
A limited list of artists who performed and/or recorded with Morgana King over the years of her career are Ben Aronov, Ronnie BedfordRonnie Bedford
Ronnie Bedford is an American jazz drummer and professor. Bedford is one of the founders of the Yellowstone Jazz Festival held annually in Cody, Wyoming, and was the recipient of the 1993 Wyoming Governor's Award for the Arts. In 1993 he released a self-published CD, Tour de West. He later...
, Ed Caccavale (drums), Clifford Carter
Clifford Carter
Clifford Carter is an American keyboardist.Carter is known for his performances with such artists as James Taylor, Michael Franks, and Herbie Mann and as a member of the groups Elements, Grace Pool, and the 24th Street Band....
, Don Costa
Don Costa
Don Costa was an American pop music arranger and record producer, best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
, Eddie Daniels
Eddie Daniels
Eddie Daniels is an American musician. Though he is best known as a jazz clarinet player, he has also played alto and tenor saxophones, as well as classical music on the clarinet....
, Sue Evans
Sue Evans
Sue Evans is an American jazz percussionist.Evans played piano before switching to drums. She studied under Warren Smith and Sonny Igoe, and graduated in 1969 from the High School of Music and Art. She was Judy Collins's touring drummer from 1969 to 1973, and worked with Gil Evans from 1969 to 1982...
, Larry Fallon
Larry Fallon
Larry Fallon was an American composer, arranger and record producer.Arranger credits include Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, Nico's Chelsea Girl, Jimmy Cliff's Wonderful World, Beautiful People, the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and Gil Scott-Heron's Bridges. He played the distinctive harpsichord...
, Sammy Figueroa
Sammy Figueroa
Sammy Figueroa is an American percussionist born in The Bronx, New York. At 18 he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raices....
, John Kaye (percussion), Helen Keane, Art Koenig, Steve LaSpina
Steve LaSpina
Steven Frank LaSpina is an American jazz bassist. He plays both upright and electric bass.LaSpina was born in Wichita Falls, Texas; his father and grandfather both played in dance bands. He attended the University of Illinois and DePaul University, and first began playing professionally in Chicago...
, Scott Lee, Jay Leonhart
Jay Leonhart
Jay Leonhart is a noted bassist and songwriter working in jazz and popular music. He has performed with diverse artists including Judy Garland, Carly Simon, Bucky Pizzarelli, Sting, and Frank Sinatra...
, Ray Mantilla
Ray Mantilla
Raymond Mantilla is an American jazz drummer. He has played as a session musician and toured with some of the most significant jazz musicians of his time...
, Bill Mays
Bill Mays
William Allen Mays , best known as Bill Mays, is a jazz pianist from Sacramento, California He came from a musical family and at fifteen he became interested in jazz at an Earl Hines concert....
, Charles McCracken, Ted Nash, Adam Nussbaum
Adam Nussbaum
-Biography:Nussbaum grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut and started to play drums at age 12 after studying piano for five years. He also played bass and saxophone as a teenager. He moved to New York City in 1975 to attend The Davis Center for Performing Arts at City College...
, Warren Odze, Joe Puma
Joe Puma
Joe Puma was an American jazz guitarist.Puma's first professional experience came with Joe Roland in 1949-50. He acted as a session musician for many jazz musicians of the 1950s, including Louie Bellson, Artie Shaw, Eddie Bert, Herbie Mann, Mat Mathews, Chris Connor, and Paul Quinichette; he also...
, Don Rebic, Jack Wilkins
Jack Wilkins
Jack Wilkins is a guitarist born on June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. He has played with many jazz greats including Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy Heath, Epitaph , and bassist Eddie Gomez, as well as with singers Mel Tormé, Ray Charles, Morgana King, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, The Manhattan...
, Joe Williams (bass), and Torrie Zito
Torrie Zito
Torrie Zito was an American pianist, music arranger, composer and conductor.He worked with many recording artists of note, including Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Perry Como, Billy Eckstine, Herbie Mann, Steve Lawrence, Edie Gorme, Nana Mouskouri, Bobby Short, Marvin Hamlish, Roberto Carlos, Sinead...
.
Recording
Her repertoire contains more than two hundred songs on over thirty albums with songs also appearing on more than forty albums. Most of her recordings and re-issues have not remained in the catalogs. There are limited CDs, audio tracks, mp3 downloads and lyrics available on the Internet along with a limited list of available LPs from businesses that offer re-mastering services for vinyl-to-CD.In 1964, King received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination in 1964 for Best New Artist.
The UCLA Music Library's Jimmy Van Heusen papers include a letter dated September 5, 1965 that pertains to "songs… to be given to Morgana King." She recorded three songs by Van Heusen: "Here's That Rainy Day
Here's That Rainy Day
"Here's That Rainy Day" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1953. It was introduced by Dolores Gray in the Broadway musical Carnival in Flanders...
" (on It's a Quiet Thing, 1965), "Like Someone in Love
Like Someone in Love
Like Someone in Love is an album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with a studio orchestra arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol...
" (on Stardust, 1986; and Another Time, Another Space, 1992) and "Imagination
Imagination (1940 song)
"Imagination" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was first published in 1940. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey in 1940....
" (on Looking Through The Eyes Of Love, 1998).
Wing Records
Wing Records
Wing Records was a record label subsidiary of Mercury Records, founded in 1955, that enjoyed its greatest success during the late 50s. In 1986, the label was revived by Mercury's parent company PolyGram and, just before its final fade, the label enjoyed a brief success with then new R&B singers...
released the album considered a masterpiece: Winter Of My Discontent (1965).
An extended recording relationship with Muse Records
Muse Records
Muse Records was an American record label which released jazz and blues music.Muse was founded in the early 1970s by Joe Fields, who had previously worked as an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s...
began in 1977, resulting in nine albums over twenty-three years.
Film
Morgana King appeared in five films, including The Godfather Parts I and II (1972 and 1974).Television
Beginning with The Andy Williams ShowThe Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show is a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 , and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976...
and The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months...
in 1964, and continuing for a decade, she performed on television talk and variety shows including The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
, The Dean Martin Show
The Dean Martin Show
The Dean Martin Show is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by crooner Dean Martin...
and The David Frost Show.
Her acting credits include one television movie, two series and a soap opera.
Retirement
Morgana King announced her retirement from performing during an engagement at the Cotton Club in Chicago on Friday, December 10, 1993, and added that her recording would not be affected by the decision. She continued to perform after that date but on a less frequent basis: the Ballroom, Maxim’s, Mirage Night Club (a benefit jazz session), and Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill ("both a performance and her 70th birthday celebration.")."I want to do things that are personally satisfying and that I can be proudly associated with." —Morgana King
Her lack of a continued interest in acting was a twofold response to the issue surrounding offers of typecast roles and the difficulty in getting "out of character". Her last film appearance was in A Brooklyn State of Mind (1987).
Relationships and family
Morgana King married twice. Her first marriage at age seventeen was to the rising young jazz trumpeter Tony FruscellaTony Fruscella
Tony Fruscella was an American jazz trumpeter. He died of liver cirrhosis in 1969.- Biography :...
(1927–1969), which ended in divorce after nine years (due to his substance abuse). They had a daughter Graysan (1950–2008) and they have a grandson, Morgan. Tony Fruscella was instrumental in her introduction to bebop and the works of Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
and Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. During their marriage, the couple frequently had "Sunday dinner with Charlie Parker and his family." His self-titled album, Tony Fruscella displays his early works.
Her second marriage, in 1961, was to jazz trombonist Willie Dennis
Willie Dennis
Willie Dennis was an American jazz trombonist known as a big band musician but was also an influential bebop soloist...
(William DeBerardinis (1926–1965)). She met him during an off-night visit to the Birdland
Birdland (jazz club)
Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979...
Jazz Club where she went to hear Sam Donahue
Sam Donahue
Sam Donahue was an American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist, trumpeter and musical arranger. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he is probably best known for his work with Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Billy May, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others.He is the father of guitarist Jerry...
’s group. He had performed with Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
and Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
and recorded the 1953 album release ‘Four Trombones’ on Mingus’ record label Debut Records
Debut Records
Debut Records was a United States jazz record label, which was founded in 1952 by bassist Charles Mingus, his then-wife Celia and drummer Max Roach.This short-lived label was an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies...
. He had toured extensively with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
and Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
. His skills and prior experience created a close career collaboration within their relationship, resulting in her album With a Taste of Honey, conceived and developed by him, which garnered critical acclaim for her. The album is the initial source of aligning her style with the bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
. She travelled to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
with him to experience this new music style when he toured with Buddy Rich in 1960. She said the experience was "an introduction to myself." Their close collaboration was suddenly shattered in 1965 with his death from an automobile accident in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, New York City. Her album It's a Quiet Thing (Reprise, 1965) is a memorial to him. A solo legacy of Willie Dennis can be heard in "Blueport" on Gerry Mulligan's album Live at the Village Vanguard (Verve Records).
After the death of Willie Dennis, she relocated to Southern California and lived for twenty-one years in Malibu. She accepted Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's offer to record three albums on his record label Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
(It's A Quiet Thing (1965), Wild Is Love (1966) and Gemini Changes (1967)). She also sold real estate and focused on establishing an acting career.
Legacy
An inquiry by Bill Evans into "the essential ingredient for a musician to be great." The response to his question was "To have your own sound."
"Morgana King is the epitome of this criterion… She indeed has her own sound in the best sense of this concept. —Bill EvansBill EvansWilliam John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
Style and influence
Morgana King's voice is notable for its four-octave range. Her lyrical signature, an incomparable timbreTimbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
drawn across her instrument at will, is a unique vocal technique that has the ability to convey the exquisite melancholy of a violin as it delivers evocative prose with refined ease. Being an interpretive artist and stylist, her vocal treatment creates a masterpiece of stunning beauty textured by her "pristine phrasing and crystalline vocal delivery." Having an excellent faculty for melodic improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
, she recomposes lyrics making the composition her own, which can also be heard in her scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
. In later years, her lyric voice remained lovely from the lightest to the heaviest end of its range. There was an added deep tone to the vibrant mezzo and a life-enhancing lower register that projected great warmth.
Though classified a jazz singer, the body of her work expanded musically over the years. She continued to pursue new forms of expression and presentation by exploring current music trends, which can be heard and read from the list of songs and composers on more than thirty albums. She ventured into new creative areas throughout her career all the while keeping contact with her musical point of origin in jazz. Her distinctive sound has its criticism and detractors. However, the reception for Morgana King has been predominantly positive with her being well received by critics and listeners. There is an opinion on "why Morgana King wasn't more commercially successful."
"She was an incredible act… Frank (Sinatra) loved her. Her voice was a great instrument but they couldn't define her. Where do you put her: pop, jazz or where? " [ Sir Monti Rock III]
In literature, the Library of Jazz Standards by Ronny Schiff (2002) recognizes Morgana King as one of the performers who made famous the songs "Imagination" (Van Heusen, Burke), "Like Someone in Love" (Van Heusen, Burke) and "Will You Be Mine" (Adair, Dennis). Also, there is the occasional mention of her in fiction.
She is credited with composition of the songs "Moe's Blues", which was recorded by Beverly Kenny on Beverly Kenny Sings for Johnny Smith (1955), and "Simply Eloquent" with Monte Oliver, which appears on an album of the same title, initially released in 1986 by Muse Records.
In 1991, she produced a set of seminars called Morgana King Fine Arts Series. The seminars brought together small groups for recurring meetings every few months. They were held at select venues that included the Lincoln Center. One of the functions of the series was to familiarize participants more extensively with performance methodologies. There was also a panel available to critique the performances.
Her signature song is "A Taste Of Honey", which was originally released on the album With A Taste of Honey (Mainstream Records, 1964). Her most re-issued songs are "My Funny Valentine
My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
", from Everything Must Change (Muse, 1978), and the title track of For You, For Me, For Evermore
For You, For Me, For Evermore
"For You, For Me, For Evermore" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.Written around 1936-7, it was rediscovered by Ira Gershwin when he was preparing music for The Shocking Miss Pilgrim , where it was introduced by Dick Haymes.-Notable recordings:*Ella Fitzgerald -...
(EmArcy Records, 1956).
Quotes
"King has few peers as interpreter of pop standard songs" —John Hoglund
"Eloquent is a near perfect adjective for Morgana King" —Joel Flegler
"Morgana King has done the best version of You Are The Sunshine Of My Life I have heard." —Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
"She has a gift that makes popular music… classical." —Donny HathawayDonny HathawayDonny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
"We feel honored that she's chosen one of our songs to record and made such a gem of it!" —[ Kenny Rankin] & [ Yvonne Rankin]
"… a singer as dedicated to the art of song as Morgana is a composer's dream." —Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (songwriter)Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
"Morgana, As long as you will sing, I will stay!!" —Bobby Gosh
Discography
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | |
| 1997 | A Brooklyn State of Mind | Aunt Rose | |
| 1987 | A Time to Remember, aka Miracle in a Manger | Mama Theresa | |
| 1978 | Nunzio | Mrs. Sabatino | |
| 1974 | Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part II | Carmella Corleone Carmella Corleone Carmela Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's The Godfather. She is the wife of Don Vito Corleone. Though she features somewhat prominently in the book and the films, she is nowhere given a name, and is only referred to as "Mama". She receives one seemingly as an afterthought in the... |
|
| 1972 | Mario Puzo's The Godfather The Godfather The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard... |
Carmella Corleone Carmella Corleone Carmela Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's The Godfather. She is the wife of Don Vito Corleone. Though she features somewhat prominently in the book and the films, she is nowhere given a name, and is only referred to as "Mama". She receives one seemingly as an afterthought in the... |
|
Television
| Television (TV) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | TV Genre | Role / Notes |
| 1993 | All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most... |
Soap opera | Promotional title 'The Summer of Seduction' Mrs. Manganaro |
| 1985 | Deadly Intentions Deadly Intentions Deadly Intentions is a 1985 television film. A sequel was released in 1991 titled Deadly Intentions... Again?.-Plot:Originally shown in two parts, this four-hour TV movie stars Michael Biehn as the outwardly "perfect" doctor husband of Madolyn Smith. But Biehn is actually a psychopath, who is... |
TV Movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... |
Anna Livanos |
| 1977 | The Godfather The Godfather The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard... : A Novel for Television |
Mini-series Miniseries A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term... |
Mama Corleone (ep numbers 1.1 through 1.4) |
| 1976 | Jigsaw John: Thicker Than Blood | Series | Zoe Pappas |
| 1974 | The Mike Douglas Show The Mike Douglas Show The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with... |
Talk show | Herself |
| 1973 | The Mike Douglas Show | Talk show | Herself (sn 10, ep 170) |
| 1972 | The Mike Douglas Show The Mike Douglas Show The Virginia Graham Show The David Frost Show |
Talk show Talk show Talk show Talk show |
Herself (sn 10, ep 165) Herself (sn 10, ep 105) Herself Herself (sn 4, ep 130) |
| 1971 | The Virginia Graham Show The Mike Douglas Show |
Talk show Talk show |
Herself Herself (sn 9, ep 114) |
| 1971 | The Godfather: Behind the Scenes | Documentary | Herself |
| 1970 | The David Frost Show | Talk show | Herself |
| 1969 | Playboy After Dark Playboy After Dark Playboy After Dark is an American television show hosted by Hugh Hefner. It ran in syndication through Screen Gems from 1969 to 1970 and was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.... |
Variety show | Herself (sn 1, eps 3 & 12) |
| 1968 | The Dean Martin Show The Dean Martin Show The Dean Martin Show is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by crooner Dean Martin... The Dean Martin Show |
Variety show Variety show |
Performed "When The World Was Young" (sn 4, ep 8) Performed "I Have Loved Me A Man". Also performed "So Long", "Now Is The Hour" and "Auld Lang Syne Auld Lang Syne (song) Die Toten Hosen recorded a rendering of "Auld Lang Syne" for their Christmas album Wir warten auf's Christkind..., and released it as the second single from the album under the alias Die Roten Rosen. While the first two verses remain the same the rest of the lyrics are about drinking and having... " with Dean Martin Dean Martin Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"... . (sn 3, ep 29) |
| 1968 | The Woody Woodbury Show The Pat Boone Show The Rosey Grier Show |
Talk show Variety show Talk show |
Herself Herself Herself |
| 1967 | The Mike Douglas Show | Talk show | Herself (sn 5, ep 87) |
| 1966 | The Dean Martin Show | Variety show | Performed "Mountain High, Valley Low". Also performed "Loch Lomond" and "Goodnight, Irene Goodnight, Irene "Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th century American folk standard, written in 3/4 time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1932.... " with Dean Martin. (sn 1, ep 27) |
| 1966 | The Hollywood Palace The Hollywood Palace The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months... The Hollywood Palace |
Variety show Variety show |
Herself (sn 4, ep 7) Herself (sn 4, ep 3) |
| 1965 | The Mike Douglas Show | Talk show | Herself (sn 4, ep 28) |
| 1964 | The Hollywood Palace The Andy Williams Show The Andy Williams Show The Andy Williams Show is a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 , and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976... |
Variety show Variety show |
Performed "A Taste Of Honey A Taste of Honey (song) "A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey . Both the original and a cover by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song Grammy Awards... (sn 3, ep 6)" Performed "Corcovado" with Andy Williams Andy Williams Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,... (sn 2, ep 4). |
Videography
| Video | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Format | Available (Yes/No) |
| 2008 | The Godfather: Restored Trilogy The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration |
BLR Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs... , DVD DVD |
Y Y |
| 2006 | The Godfather Part II: Restored | DVD | Y |
| 2005 | A Brooklyn State of Mind | DVD | Y |
| 2004 | The Godfather Part II (1974): Widescreen; Dubbed; Re-mastered The Godfather: Widescreen Edition |
DVD DVD |
Y Y |
| 2005 | A Brooklyn State of Mind A Tribute To Billie Holiday: Recorded Live At the Hollywood Bowl (1979) |
DVD DVD: Morgana King interview and performances: "Easy Living Easy Living (song) "Easy Living" is a jazz standard written by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin for the film Easy Living directed by Mitchell Leisen.The song has been recorded by many jazz performers including Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Anita O'Day, and Miles Davis... ", As Time Goes By As Time Goes By (song) "As Time Goes By" is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became most famous in 1942 when it was sung by the character Sam in the movie Casablanca. The song was voted #2 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film. It was used as a fanfare for Warner... " and "God Bless The Child God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song) "God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. in 1939, first recorded on May 9, 1941 under the Okeh label.Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in... " |
Y N |
| 2001 | Gordon Willis on Cinematography (Uncredited: Carmella Corleone) | Archive footage Stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new... |
N |
| 1992 | The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980 | Archive footage | N |